BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention in general relates to a cooling device for dissipating heat generated by computer component devices in a main frame.
2. Description of Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the main frame of a conventional computer has a cooling fan mounted on its back to discharge hot air, thereby lowering the temperature inside.
The CPU in the main frame easily generates a large quantity of heat and is further cooled by another cooling fan mounted thereon to help ensure stable CPU operation. However, the other component devices such as hard disk drives and CD ROM drives in the main frame are provided with no special cooling fans and therefore cannot be efficiently cooled. High temperature may cause them to become unstable or even fail. This problem has not received attention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device for solving the above-mentioned problem.
In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided a cooling device for cooling at least one computer component device in a main frame. The cooling device comprises a case and at least one fan assembly. The case is mounted adjacent to the computer component device, and is provided with at least one first opening communicating with air outside the main frame and at least one second opening facing the computer component device. The fan assembly is mounted in the case to suck the air outside the main frame through the first opening and directly ventilate the computer component device through the second opening. The case can be further provided with at least one third opening. The air outside the main frame can be thus sucked by the fan assembly through the first and third openings into the main frame to lower a temperture inside the the main frame.
Alternatively, the cooling device according to this invention comprises a case and at least one fan assembly. The case is mounted adjacent to the computer component device, and is provided with at least one first opening communicating with the outside of the main frame and at least one second opening facing the computer component device. The fan assembly is mounted in the case in order to discharge air in the main frame, through the second opening and the first opening, to the outside of the main frame and thereby ventilate the computer component device. The case can be further provided with at least one third opening. The air in the main frame can be thus discharged by the fan assembly through the third and first openings outside the main frame to lower a temperture inside the the main frame.
If more than one fan assembly, for example, two, are mounted in the case, then they can operate in two opposite directions to ventilate two computer component devices which are disposed above and below the cooling device of this invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a main frame of a conventional computer;
FIG. 2 shows a cooling device according to this invention that is mounted in a main frame of a personal computer;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a case of the cooling device according to this invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cooling device according to a first embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the cooling device according to a second embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cooling device according to a third embodiment of this invention; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cooling device according to a modification of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTAs shown in FIG. 2, acooling device 9 according to this invention is mounted in the main frame, near a computer component device which needs to be especially cooled. For example, thecooling device 9 is mounted above a hard disk drive and sucks outside air into the main frame to directly ventilate the hard disk drive.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, thecooling device 9 according to a first embodiment of this invention has acase 10 with twofan assemblies 20 mounted inside. Thecase 10 consists of a top plate, a bottom plate and four side plates. A plurality offirst openings 101 are provided on one of side plates which is given areference number 104, for allowing outside air to enter thecase 10. Amesh grating 102 is mounted on theside plate 104 of thecase 10 while afilter layer 103 is disposed between themesh grating 102 and theside plate 104. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thefan assemblies 20 are mounted on thebottom plate 105 of thecase 10 via theirshafts 201. A plurality ofsecond openings 106 are provided on thebottom plate 105 of thecase 10 under eachfan assembly 20. Each fan assembly includes a blade rotatably mounted on a shaft.
When the fan assemblies 20 operate, outside air is sucked through themesh grating 102, thefilter layer 103 and thefirst openings 101 into thecase 10, and is discharged from thesecond openings 106 under the fan assemblies 20 to directly ventilate a computer component device such as a hard disk drive in the main frame. Thefilter layer 103 can prevent dust contained in outside air from entering the main frame.
FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of this invention, in which most components are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are therefore indicated with the same reference numbers to omit their descriptions. Afan assembly 30 is mounted on thetop plate 107 of thecase 10 via itsshaft 301, while theother fan assembly 20 is mounted on thebottom plate 105 via itsshaft 201. A plurality ofsecond openings 108 are provided on thetop plate 107, over thefan assembly 30. When the fan assemblies 20, 30 operate, outside air is sucked into the case and is divided into two parts; one flows upward and the other flows downward. Therefore, the cooling device of the second embodiment can ventilate two computer component devices disposed above as well as below.
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of this invention, in which some components are the same as those in the second embodiment, and are therefore indicated with the same reference numbers to omit their descriptions. Twofan assemblies 30 are mounted on thetop plate 107 via theirshaft 301, while two second openings 108' are provided on thebottom plate 105, under the fan assemblies 30 The twofan assemblies 30 can operate to discharge air in the main frame out. By this arrangement, computer component devices mounted in the main frame can be also efficiently ventilated. It is noted that a side plate 104' of thecase 10 is tilted to form anair outlet 109 between thebottom plate 105 and the side plate 104'. The air is discharged through theair outlet 109 and flows downward and does not directly blow at the computer user.
The cooling device of this invention can work more efficiently if the case is further modified. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality ofthird openings 400 are provided on a side plate of thecase 10. When the fan assemblies 30 operate, computer component devices provided beside thecase 10 can be directly ventilated, as mentioned above. In the meantime hot air in the main frame is discharged through thethird openings 400 and theair outlet 109 to the outside Therefore, the modification to the case can also lower the temperature inside the main frame.
Although this invention has been described in its preferred forms and various examples with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms and the various examples can be changed in the details of construction. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and not by the specific examples given herein.